Bank robbery, carjacking, pursuit and possible explosives

A bank robbery, carjacking, police pursuit and crash and possible explosives made for an exciting Saturday morning for officers from Seattle, King County Sheriff’s Office and Edmonds Police Department.

Shortly after 11:00 this morning, a suspect walked into the Wells Fargo Bark at N. 132nd St. and Aurora Ave. N. He indicated to the employees that he had an explosive device and demanded money. After receiving some money, the suspect left the bank and car-jacked a green truck from the parking lot.

911 received numerous calls from both the bank about the robbery, and from witnesses outside who saw the carjacking. Multiple officers responded to the bank and surrounding area. Seattle Police officers located the victim vehicle, with the victim driver still inside, parked at N.143rd and Midvale Avenue North. The driver was not hurt. He told officers that the suspect had switched cars and was now driving a gold Ford Explorer. That information was quickly broadcast to Seattle officers and neighboring jurisdictions.

A Shoreline officer was in the area and spotted the suspect vehicle driving northbound on Midvale. He activated his emergency equipment in an attempt to stop the vehicle, but the suspect vehicle took off. The pursuit continued into the City of Edmonds, where the deputy notified Edmonds PD of the call. EPD joined the pursuit.

The suspect vehicle rolled over in a parking lot near the ferry terminal. The suspect could not get out of his car because it had rolled over onto its side, so the officers broke a window which allowed the suspect to climb out. He complied with the officers commands and was taken into custody. He was not injured.

As the suspect was being arrested, officers observed suspicious items inside the car which were consistent with the earlier reports of explosive devices. The bomb squads from Seattle PD and the Federal Bureau of Investigations and KCSO all responded to the scene.

Detectives from the bomb squad examined the device and determined that it was not an explosive, although it was designed to look very much like an actual pipe bomb. The 30-year-old male suspect was interviewed by detectives and was booked into the King County Jail.

The coordination between multiple agencies, involving different crime scenes, and the speed at which information was shared was remarkable. As a result, the suspect is in custody and no one was hurt as a result of his actions. Thanks to all of the witnesses who called to report what they saw, and to our federal and local partners who assisted on this call.

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